Pokoro Kokoro
by Lysianth
Summary: 'In this world there is no black nor white, only different shades of gray.' Takes place along with the chimera ant arc. R&R. Reverted back to its old title.
1. Prologue

**Hunter x Hunter belongs to Togashi-san.**

**First fic, thanks for stopping by.**

**Chapter Beta: Night Foliage**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p><em>A great force spirals down to Earth. A man wearing a black tuxedo stood over the distant desert, holding a book. It graced its pages as the sandy wind blew.<em>

_He looked up. His face was pale, and eyes were as dark as the night, curiously reflected the wistful movements of the force._

_It was surreal— A seeming never-ending fall towards the surface..._

_Steadily, the man held his gaze and patiently waited, as though time had only ticked for his very wish._

_The force descended towards his direction._

_Familiar faces gathered before him at a safe distance. They watched as the force traversed its way down accordingly. One might ask: what could he be thinking? But they, also, were unbothered— and they certainly wouldn't be, for the man in question was no other than the man they have the highest respects for._

_"Here it comes," the rather cheerful-looking lad among them voiced._

_His timing was perfect. Right before the force got uncomfortably close, the man materialized a red cloth with his left hand and used it against the force._

_Much to his audience's surprise, the cloth was able to contain its power— enclosing whatever it is the force held._

_They were all silenced, all but the distant roars of the sandy wind that came by._

_The man held the cloth, all tiny and puny. There was no movement, no sound, no nothing. All that was apparent was the fact that it had caught something falling along the force… something that he was willing to take the risk, and the time, just to get a hold of._

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><p><strong>Teacher's Pet<strong>

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><p>"Thhk, Thhk."<p>

With a command, the meerkat, which was situated on top of the girl's head, gestured towards the blinding light. The girl then took out a device and aimed it against that direction.

*Flash*

With a push of the button, the sound of the shutter echoed: sending a number of feathered animals nearby flying into the distance.

"Thank you, meerkat-san…"

It has been approximately 1445 days since she was sent out on this special training. And today, at this very moment, the supposed _last confetti show_ signaled—as well as commemorated—the end of her adventures throughout the world.

_I'll never get tired of that sound..._

The intricate eye insignia located at the center of her blindfold illuminated as the colourful confetti sparkled past her soft white hair, down the tree branch she was sitting on, and onto the green surface below where they then eventually dissipated.

-HxH-

The smell of the ancient wood over the cool morning breeze flourished. It was a sensation she has long missed: the subtle flutter of the butterflies, the rhythmic flow from the stone fountain nearby, the warm rays of the sun over her moist skin. Indeed, she was in a very familiar place. She was home.

She went inside, with much anticipation. She turned her face around the corner of the wooden establishment, as though she was able to see what lied ahead.

"..."

There was nothing but silence inside the old _minka_. She continued searching the place, but it became apparent that no one was present besides herself.

"I..I'm back…"

She held her head down as if her heart felt heavier. At that moment, she had wished someone would answer her back; but no one was there, and no one was coming…

After releasing a noticeably exasperated breath, a letter by the table grabbed her attention for it reeked of aura. She went ahead and opened the letter, it read:

_Back so soon, eh? I expected as much._

_I won't be back for some time. Don't bother looking for me._

_There are some snacks left in the fridge, help yourself._

_After you've taken enough rest, there is some work waiting for you back at the organization. You could do them while you wait._

_Don't go looking for me!_

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><p>To and fro, to and fro— "And why would I spend a turn for you?" the man voiced demandingly. He was tossing around a violet hexahedron, which clashed horribly with his red hair.<p>

"Not asking for free..." replied the girl, from before, in monotone.

"You owe me a trip to mars then," he quickly uttered. He then shook the violet device on his hand, and said: "Tell her whatever she should do to find this fortune telling person!"

The screen of the device began to accumulate little dots that will presumably answer the guy's question. The two of them waited about 5 seconds for it to form something they can actually read, only to find—:

**[Ask Later.]**

"..."

"Hehe. This may take a while..." the man said while scratching his head.

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><p>*Minka – Traditional japanese home.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

**Important:**

**I've added my OC's intro in the Prologue, you might have to go check it out in order to properly understand the OC stuff written in this chapter.**

Yea, I'm sloppy.

-x-

Before I edited, my story had 333 words with 3 reviews. (Hoh hoh, I'm half evil.)

Thanks for them reviews.

**Chapter Beta: **The awesome Night Foliage.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**Exorcism x Beginning x Inevitable Battle**

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><p>The much awaited moment finally came. They were gathered around a huge campfire, outside an abandoned establishment, only for such an event to take place. One of the men worded his chants and set his peculiar doll ablaze. The other two beside him awaited what lied ahead as he, too, braced himself for the unknown.<p>

The man to his right was his employer, or so he thought. This 'employer' was overflowing with malice that he, the exorcist, or more commonly classified as a _nen-eraser_ in the hunter business, considered the man's presence more troubling than the arrival of the unknown nen-beast itself.

To his left was yet another strikingly intimidating fellow. The man was eerily composed, he thought. He was at ease despite of the impending situation he had at hand— _he was about to get the nen-curse implanted on his heart, as he (the nen-eraser) had been told, forcefully removed._

The atmosphere grew more intense at every waking second they spent waiting. The exorcist needn't do anything at all to sense the maniac's ever-growing lust to kill somebody, it was dead-clear that someone will undoubtedly die among them tonight. As his maniac for an employer continued to throw frenzied aura all over the place, he shook his feelings of anxiety and tried to regain his composure. After all, he had yet to receive his pay.

The smoke mysteriously dissipated within a fraction of a second. And for a brief moment, the exorcist felt vulnerable. _He felt it coming_. To make matters worse, the fire subsequently went out which he also hadn't anticipated, for it had never turned out like this with his past rituals. So now, they were left with only the night sky as their guiding light amidst the overgrown foliage…

"Brace yourself!"

The demon _surely_ came— with the promise of removing the man's bindings, _his curse_. It stretched its dark formless state to what appeared to be a right hand with distinctively sharp claws, which immediately went for the man's chest. The claws were so fast that the man had only a faint grunt just millisecond after it struck his front... But then again, one wouldn't expect much anxiety coming from this man, certainly not Abengane, judging by the impression he had on him, the man to his left, earlier.

Abengane was baffled by the tremendous amount of wrath he had felt coming from the demon. Perhaps it had matched the intensity of the nen that it had worked on, he thought.

And as he watched the dark shadow-like entity envelop the man's body, he felt somewhat at ease that he has done his job.

All that is left now was to collect his pay.

"It—it's done…"

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><p>It was just another senseless day for him back at the organization— a hunter, who was always free of the usual concerns in life: like family, work, even friends and money. He wasn't quite the individual that was easy to relate to to begin with, so they say. He did not have any particular goal in life, except for maybe finding entertainment for his everyday life. And with that ideal lifestyle, he did whatever it is he wanted, and made sure he had everything he could possibly need on the palm of his hands.<p>

"Just stay right where you are," he playfully voiced as he shook his violet device.

It was most intriguing, seeing the chairman's pet herself came to see him in person. Though he had heard about her numerous times, he never met the girl before. And it was a mystery why she came to him seeking for advice.

She was standing right next to him wearing her blindfold, but her gaze was directly fixated on the violet toy on his hand, as though she was looking at it.

"Sorry," she voiced promptly. "A mistake…" she implied.

Several tries had gone and they still hadn't got a single decent answer from the thing. It was only a matter of time before this girl would decide to leave; but the guy won't allow such a meeting to end so dully, or at least that was what he had in mind…

"O-oi, I already wasted a turn for you! The next advice it will give will be useless to—"

She turned around and sent a small wave as she proceeded on leaving. The man had no other choice but to follow her.

After all, he also had wasted his 'precious' time and effort seeking for this advice he never asked for.

"..I'm not paying, this 'trip to mars'…" she uttered shortly after the man had followed her. She must've thought that this man still wanted payment despite the failure.

"How heartless. I never got anything in exchange for your _camera_ either..." the man said, shaking his hexahedron in the process.

"Never asked." (_I never asked for it_.)

"Come on— You're an _emission type_, right—? Jumping straight to mars would be a piece of cake for you! You could hold me in your arms as we travel through space~" the man teasingly voiced as he gestured how the girl would hold him in her arms as they 'travel through space'.

"No answer, no payment… freak," again, she spoke so bluntly.

"—Well about that..."

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><p>They were the sweetest words Hisoka could ever hope to hear.<p>

The very moment he had long worked and yearned for was finally within his reach— and there was absolutely nothing he could think of that would get in their way this time.

He wore his usual façade. His decadent lust for battle, seen clearly on each and every movement he made. It was at times like this that he was considered his most dangerous: at the peak of his excitement. "Shall we~~~?" he voiced, spreading his arms as he bends his back in the process.

His 'object' of fascination was paying little to no attention to his apparent hair-raising behaviour. He assumed that perhaps this man, Kuroro, was overwhelmed by this once in a lifetime experience he just had: getting a particular nen-curse removed from its bind.

Hisoka remained particularly _patient_ up to this point. He restrained himself _rather_ well. He waited for the whole ritual to take its course and stood in utter silence along with the other man after, witnessing the ritual's _aftermath_. Their eyes feasted on _death_ etched cruelly by the shadows over Kuroro's body, as though they were taunting the two. Hisoka wasn't sure if it was just his imagination or not; but the visage rather suited Kuroro well, he thought—

_Without a doubt_~~~.

And as Hisoka recognized the sudden rush of energy emanating from Kuroro, his heart leaped from sheer ecstasy. _He's back~~~_. He thought. The 'toy' he had long yearned for was fixed at last.

Now, it shall play its role on his decadent game.

"Wait a moment..!" the Nen-eraser strenuously voiced as Hisoka charged a second later, pointing his fist straight to Kuroro's face.

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><p>"<em>Get dressed for the coming of the dragon,<em>

_And seize the one similar to what you've hidden._

_Only then you shall see Kurapica._

_._

_._

_._

_Nothing follows."_

_After receiving a vague description on what I should do in order to find this fortune teller person, I decided to look someplace else for an advice that can actually make sense._

_But..._

_This man just won't give up._

_He just had to show me how 'helpful' he, and his ability, is._

_-o-_

The girl came. She was nicer than she seemed to be, seeing that she gave his proposal a chance. Supposedly, they were to meet here in this crowded place to get a step closer in reaching her goal of finding this fortune teller person. The crowd was no ordinary crowd— there were mascots, people in leotards, several entertainers, and all sorts of oddities everywhere.

"Oooi, don't get lost in the crowd now— Koro-chan!" the red-haired man voiced upon spotting her about 15 feet away. He waved his right arm and held the other close to his mouth in the process.

"…" She turned the other way, revealing the simple pattern on her brown backpack as the man made his way towards her. "Not doing this…" she voiced abruptly.

"The train that would take us to York Shin City will be arriving shortly." The man raised his right hand close to his forehead to block the sun and survey the place, "Anyhow, why are you still wearing the same-old clothes?" He uttered with a hint of disappointment on his face.

"Not wearing anything…" she uttered back. "Make it work… or I'm out, freak." (_I'm not wearing anything flashy. Either you make it work or I'm out_.)

The quick and expected response made him chuckle. "I got it. I was only teasing you." He shrugged, "Besides, 'get dressed' could mean anything. Like get ready, or be prepared, or—"

"It's here, finally." The train honked its horn to signal its arrival. The masses of people gathered to board it shortly.

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><p>He felt the chill up to his spine. There's no doubting it. The very same feeling he once had as that blonde lad forcefully placed the bind on his heart was the same <em>restraint<em> he felt coming from this _entity. _He felt utterly weak. _Powerless_. For there was nothing he could do as this demon devoured the curse for him.

There was no feeling of relief, nor accomplishment. Somehow, the bitter pang of the past came crawling its way back, reminding him the shame of losing the first time— _The event of their loss… the point when they fell victims to the chain user's plot, as though they were mere puppets to his play—_

It was a huge slap to the Spider's pride.

"Wait a moment..!" The exorcist's voice snapped him back at the moment. Kuroro immediately took notice of the man charging straight at him and reciprocated the attack by blocking it sufficiently with his two arms.

He then delivered a powerful kick on the abdomen of his attacker, to keep the latter away for now.

Kuroro glanced as the man excitedly flexed a few bones after recoiling a few yards away. The man was eerily smiling. He knew this man, this Hisoka. He was once a part of the Spider, or at least that was what he's supposed to be. He enjoyed the thrill of battle. He was so psyched about battle that perhaps it was the very reason he continues to breathe.

—And that, too, was the very reason why Kuroro considered this man one of his own.

That was one thing he could not deny to anyone who knows him. Kuroro had a bad habit of keeping things he likes close to him, for whatever process it may take. This can be seen through all of his 'colleagues'— how handpicked they all were. Thus, how strong you ever may be, you cannot easily get into the troupe without his approval, or at least ripping one of the tough legs out yourself.

Besides, he was capable of getting away with anything.

Kuroro smirked. He closed his eyes and raised his right-arm. There, he materialized his book. It was his way of acknowledging this fight— this fate, or whichever one may call it. He knew the possibility that someday Hisoka might just ask him for a fight. But it turned out to be inevitable since Hisoka already had his name on the list to begin with.

So now, he shall play his game and pay him for all his troubles, respectively.

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><p>*I used the term 'colleagues' since I believe there was no hierarchy in the Spiders. The head was simply the one who manages and decides how things should be done; and <em>it<em> could easily be replaced. The important thing was the Spider as a whole.


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for your review. It really helped out on clearing things.

_(though, is it in any way much clearer now?)_

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><p><strong>Recap:<strong> The judgment chain placed on Kuroro's heart had just been exorcised, and soon after, he went into battle with Hisoka accordingly. On the other hand, Pokoro along with a red haired mercenary were about to board a train bound for York Shin as their first step in searching for this unknown fortune teller person.

**OC count:** 2

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><p><strong>Angel's with Dirty Faces<strong>

**Chapter 2**

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><p>His eyes opened.<p>

Meticulously, it reflected the ever approaching menace.

And closer and closer, it became.

Without a moment's time for blinking, he was compelled accordingly: maneuvering his way through several attacks. It wasn't easy, more so with his book occupying his right hand. But he bore in mind that he needed the book. It wasn't the first time he fought someone so dangerous.

"This is only a temporary solution..! You will die if you keep on fighting!" The nen-eraser voiced, keeping a considerably safe distance away from them. "That shadow-like beast that clings on you— it will devour your aura overtime. Making you weaker and weaker every second you spend with it."

"And the only way to get rid of it is to fulfill the condition for removal of the nen-curse that was originally placed on your heart!" the nen-eraser continued.

For a brief moment his eyes widened. _A beast, devouring my nen_?

Lucifer was oblivious to the fact that the entity from before lingered around his body. Now that he became aware, he took notice of the circumstance that came alongside the beast— he was draining his aura far more faster than his usual pace.

His split second diversion from focus cost him a thin cut to his face: from what could have been the impact if he had not managed to evade.

Of course, Hisoka was far from satisfied.

So the maniac consequently delivered the second blow, barely giving him any time to evade at all.

The cross he bore on his forehead illuminated. Beautifully, it accentuated the tiniest movements his head made. And with a flick to his book, his whole body vanished, leaving his attacker's powerful punch to the ground.

"You know..."

"You could have said so from the beginning."

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><p><em>-Sitting face-to-face on the train-<em>

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><p>"<em>Oh, Pokoro you're back!"<em>

_He voiced. I wasn't sure if he was surprised to see me, or just plain happy about it._

"_The chairman… he's not here…"_

_All that was apparent was my urgent need to see the chairman._

"_H-he went on a mission."_

"…"

"_..What can I help you with?"_

_That's how my conversation with Beans-san went. He hasn't changed at all since the last time I talked to him about 4 years ago. And I could tell he wasn't lying, but…_

_He was hiding something._

_And I don't know why…_

"Can you actually see the things behind that glass window?" the man I'm with spoke, seeing as I was deeply preoccupied with something.

"Maybe."

"…" He stared at me, not sure what to say next.

"Anyhow…"

"I did some research on this fortune teller you are looking for."

"Her name is Neon Nostrade. Age is unknown, blood type is unknown, her place of residence is unknown, and pretty much all the other stuff about her is unknown…"

"She was last spotted on an auction held at York Shin not so long ago."

"…" Seeing that the information he gathered was close to none, I continued minding my business.

"It doesn't sound much but it tells us a whole different story."

"..that you're a bad researcher?"

"No, besides that…"

"I-I'm not a bad researcher! That's all the information you could get out-"

"…" He sighed.

"It tells us that this person is out on hiding."

"..." I kept silent. It's not exactly news to me.

"Did you get my point?"

"I was aware that it won't be that easy to begin with." I muttered back.

"_But did you know what happened on that auction not so long ago?"_

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><p>Escape. It seemed to be the only option after hearing his dilemma. If he was to choose to continue on with the fight, he would've dug his own grave even after winning against Hisoka. And he certainly wasn't foolish enough to let his pride or any other trivial reasons to get in the way.<p>

Survival was on top of the priority list.

Thanks to his teleportation ability, he had a 5-meter advantage away from his opponent. He glanced back, seemingly a bit on the edge, and started to calculate just how much time he would need in order to escape.

_3 seconds._

It would take a full 3 seconds to get out of his opponent's range and erase the traces of his aura left behind.

But even for Lucifer, a full 3 seconds was a lot of time to buy.

They were in the middle of the woods and it would be quite easy for the maniac to catch up to him if they were to play hide and seek.

That he was certain— when Hisoka is incredibly excited, like perhaps the way he is now, he could get his senses a lot sharper… especially when hunting for his prey.

And it would take another minute for him to use the teleportation ability again.

Indeed. His chances of escape were looking pretty slim.

"You know..."

"You could have said so from the beginning," his opponent uttered while slowly getting back to his normal posture.

"I have gone through all these trouble just to play with him~~~ (spade)"

"Do you think this short, short delay would even surmount to them~? (clover)"

"Do whatever you have to do. (diamond)"

"_I will wait."_

"…"

"All that matters now is that I have an official appointment with you… Kuroro~~ (heart)"

Hisoka did the honor of leaving first and leaped into the darkness, leaving nothing but a subtle trace of gloom behind.

_Postponed Battle. End._

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><p>"Genei Ryodan…"<p>

"Never heard of it."

_I knew it! She doesn't have a clue as to what she's getting at_, the red haired man who's accompanying Pokoro thought to himself.

"Heh. Well they're a group of very dangerous people," he voiced with a smirk on his face.

"Isn't that always the case..? Dangerous people, sick, twisted, murderers, and the like..?" the girl replied with her usual indifferent manner.

"They're not your ordinary _villains_. They were considered as a Class A organization," he replied back.

"So what's the story?"

"Apparently, a whole bunch of rich and 'important' people mysteriously went missing on the night of the auction, along with their bodyguards."

"Nothing is known about what happened to them up to this day."

"You're saying she could be one of them… and this Genei Ryodan is the one responsible."

He scratched his head, "Yea, I thought it was going to be that easy but…"

"The Genei Ryodan was annihilated that night."

"…" She was speechless.

"So I looked up the other people that went missing that night…"

"And just as I was hoping for," the guy grinned a little, "all the information about them are still intact."

"..that means…" Pokoro muttered.

"You got it. There's a strong chance this girl is still alive and is out there somewhere."

The man tossed his violet plaything up with a smirk on his face.

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><p>Okay… CUT!<p>

I don't think I can get any betas to help me with my story...

But I still want to continue it.

Hmm.. What to do.


End file.
